[Here is Asad's strikingly original analysis of the Rome final; I addressed the "perspective" issue that Asad handles near the end of his post from a parallel angle in Monday's ESPN column. You know what they say, fried minds think alike - PB] by TW Contributor Asad Raza

Well, it's been quite an eventful evening here at Flushing Meadow, as most of you know. I'm waiting for the Marcos Baghdatis interview (1:05 A.M) and then Andre, but not sure when. I'll post a quick update on what they say - the substance of it, anyway - so you

BEIJING (AP) — Tennis star Naomi Osaka says she's been shocked to hear about a fellow player who has gone quiet since making a sexual assault allegation against a former top government official in China. The former No. 1-ranked, four-time major winner from Japan posted on social media on Wednesday

BREE, Belgium(AP) Kim Clijsters will return to professional tennis after two years in retirement, saying she has regained the competitive hunger that led to the No. 1 ranking. I still have that craving,'' the 25-year-old Belgian said Thursday.I look forward to the challenge.'' Clijsters, who retired in May 2007

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)—Serena Williams says her left knee is just fine and it won't keep her from playing both singles and doubles at the Australian Open. The defending champion said Saturday that although her knee bothered her for much of the Sydney International final the previous night, the injury wasn't

From individuals to organizations, weekend warriors to professional players, minute observations to big-picture ideas, tennis has been top of mind across the board over the past two years. “I feel like this is the tennis boom part two,” says Trey Waltke, general manager of the Malibu Racquet Club in southern

A pair of players returned to the site of their maiden ATP trophy on Tuesday at the Stockholm Open. While Tommy Paul successfully opened his title defense by surviving an uneven performance on his side of the court, 2013 winner Grigor Dimitrov couldn’t say the same in suffering another brutal

Before the Australian Open started, I had Jannik Sinner as my pick to win the event. I saw the improvements the Italian made towards the end of 2023, and trusted that he was ready to go out and beat Novak Djokovic at a major. And while I can’t quite say

Before each day's play at the Australian Open, we'll preview and predict three must-see matches. Rafa says he’s looking forward to a “beautiful match” with Cilic. Is that because he enjoys facing off against the Croat, who brings a gentlemanly attitude to the court? Or is it because Nadal leads

This was a yawner, unless you count Kim Clijsters’ on-court interview after it was all done. The Belgian stopped interviewer Todd Woodbridge mid-question to say that, “by the way,” she knows he texted Rennae Stubbs to ask if Clijsters is pregnant. As he blushed she went on to quote his

Roger Federer says with more players staying on the circuit longer, he and No. 1 Rafa Nadal can redefine their careers. The former No. 1 is 36, while Nadal is 31. This season, they have split the majors between them, and seem pretty healthy. According to Federer, there are a

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has issued new guidelines for meldonium, the recently banned blood-circulation drug for which Maria Sharapova tested positive. Sharapova is far from alone, with the agency saying that 172 athletes have tested positive for the drug since it became banned at the beginning of the year.

PARIS (AP) A reporter at the French Open wanted to know whether the prospect of playing Serena Williams for the first time worried 26th-seeded Kristina Mladenovic. ''Well, no, I'm not frightened,'' Mladenovic said. ''No, I'm quite happy, I must say.'' Mladenovic even referred to Saturday's third-round matchup at Court Philippe

Down a set and nearly a break against the younger Kudermetova sister, 21-year-old qualifier Polina, in the final of the Brisbane International on Sunday. Aryna Sabalenka remembered who she is. "I was trying to play too conservative, I would say," the world No. 1 said following a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

The beloved 'Bullring' at Roland Garros will say goodbye at the conclusion of this year's tournament. Here are five memorable moments Court 1 has provided over the past 39 years at the French Open. Mary Joe Fernandez was down and out to Gabriela Sabatini. The Argentine led 6-1, 5-1 and

Even from the passenger side, Elena Vesnina is in the driver’s seat. “Налево, налево!” the former WTA doubles No. 1 says mid-story, gently directing husband Pavel leftward through Miami traffic and a list of errands that includes talking to me, a trip to FedEx, and, oh yes, planning an elite

Sometimes, it all seems to be too much. Too much tennis, that is. Too many important events for the players to handle and the fans to process. You might, in a certain mood, say that about this weekend. The men come out of the Arabian desert straight into Davis Cup

Serena, Petra, Kim, Maria, Vera, Francesca, Li, Vika, and Caroline (can’t forget Caroline): I don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I say that this is the WTA tournament we’ve been waiting to see for the last year. It took eight months and three majors, but pretty much

Hat tip to Montana Nick McCarvel, our former Tennis magazine intern and now a full-fledged blogger, who wrote to me about midway through the BNP Paribas Open to barrack for one of his favorite WTA players. I must say, I wonder how one becomes a Vera Zvonareva fan (not that

Who says the tail end of the season isn’t newsworthy? Certainly not the players, as there are still three weeks of competition to fuel the race to the year-ending championships on both tours. But it’s not all work and no play. Life on the professional circuit can be grinding, so